Located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Everett is a small, unincorporated crossroads hamlet, which remains intact and uncompromised by suburban development pressures. Prior to the development of hard-surfaced roads and free rural postal delivery, the unincorporated hamlet was the second most common type of rural settlement, after the isolated farmstead. Hamlets were a reflection of an agriculturally prosperous area. They provided convenience services such as taverns, blacksmiths, a doctor’s office, church and school to otherwise isolated communities. These towns were oriented towards the roadway, with no internal street system for traffic circulation or formal centralized business district. Residences were the most prevalent buildings and often included agricultural outbuildings. Perhaps the primary centralizing function of the unincorporated settlement type was the post office, typically located in the general store. In 1896, Rural Free Delivery of mail began experimentally and was adopted permanently a few years later, beginning a decline in the number of unincorporated hamlets. Once rural postal delivery and better roads were established, settlements catered to transient automobile populations rather than local farming communities.

Historic view of the church in Everett, C. 1920Photo courtesy of Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Buildings in the Everett Historic District date from the 1880s to the 1930s. Most are simple frame one-and two-story houses with shallow front yards. Outhouses and detached garages are the dominant outbuildings, but barns, chicken coops and a milk house also convey the agricultural setting. The district overlaps part of the Everett Knoll Complex, an archeological district associated with the prehistoric Hopewell culture. The mound under part of Everett Road is thought to be a burial site, but this has not been substantiated. This area was also utilized by the Civilian Conservation Corp for a nursery that played a key role in the development of the state and metropolitan parks in the area. Everett serves as a reminder of when the communities were much smaller. As one former resident stated about her childhood, “We always thought we had everything we needed!”

The Everett Historic District, located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, extends from 4731 to 4642 Riverview Rd. in the Peninsula area. None of the buildings of this hamlet are open to the public.